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Ancient snail games are also great, but can they be sold?

3D Monster Maze is an old game that came out in 1981 and is one of the earliest survival horror games. Players need to find an exit in the pixel maze to avoid being hunted by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In the decades that followed, from the Dinosaur crisis in 1999 to the original killing in 2016, there were a large number of dinosaur themes or at least dinosaur games on the market.

However, dinosaurs do not always play the role of monsters, they can fight side by side with players ("Super Horsepower Oyosi Island" and "Pokemon") and become a beautiful scenic spot ("Zoo tycoon" and "Jurassic World"). Or serve as a collection of players (Sims)! Animal Forest Friends "). With the passage of time, the game's description of ancient animals becomes more and more comprehensive, meticulous and in-depth.

An interesting question is, what exactly do paleontologists who study ancient animals think of these games?

"3D monster maze" is a pseudo 3D game with a strong sense of substitution from the main perspective.

The "Dinosaur crisis" series is similar to the "biochemical Evil". In October 2022, thousands of members of the American Geological Society (GSA) gathered in Denver, Colorado, for a stereotype of dinosaur enlightenment that became many players. Since its founding in 1888, GSA has invited experts to exchange ideas with each other every year. However, the images of paleontologists attending such gatherings are quite different from those depicted in most video games. Paleontologists in the game tend to be arrogant, arrogant and like to tie bows. Fu Da in "moving Sen" is a typical example. "Fu Da is very annoying. I don't want to be like him." Said Rebecca Starkey, a student at Charleston College.

The paleontologists seen by players in the game are often colonial antique collectors, Indiana Jones-style adventurers, or "lone scientists" who despise basic morality and disdain teamwork. It has been pointed out that these images are not only inconsistent with reality, but also limit developers to develop richer potential ways of playing. In fact, dinosaur scientists often cooperate on field trips, and geologist Robin Trailer never even plays board games on this subject. "in my opinion, at least the shaping of paleontology in commercial games is out of date. I don't want paleontological research to be seen as a cruel and competitive field, because teamwork is so important."

"I do think the game is very bad for researchers, almost all of them white people in men's fedoras." "I would like to see some changes in video games," said Thomas Clements, a paleontologist. "

Paleontologist Clements, is it different from what you think? Not long ago, Clements, and four other natural scientists published a paper in Geoscience Letters outlining how factors such as play affect the true extent to which games restore paleontology. "the purpose of this paper is not to shake your fingers at game developers and say that you are wrong." "We just summed up the historical facts and common routines of the game," Clements, said. "

In the 1993 film Jurassic Park, all dinosaurs were depicted as smooth and hairless, with skin like crocodiles and lizards. Over the past 30 years, however, people have come to realize the fact that not only do some dinosaurs definitely have feathers, but feathers or hairy derivatives may be a common feature of the entire dinosaur family. This change in understanding of dinosaurs was later reflected in the latest dinosaur film Jurassic World series.

The above paper takes Tyrannosaurus Rex as an example to illustrate that the lack of ancient biodiversity in related video games from ancient times to the present is only different from the fixed version of the movie Jurassic Park. through patches and content updates, video games can keep up with the pace of science. For example, "gather around!" Animal Friends can update Spinosaurus fossils in line with the latest scientific research, and zoo simulations can also add feathers to birds. There are also some more rigorous examples: after the release of dinosaur simulation game "Dinosaur Island" (The Isle), the development team updated Utahraptor's model, while another game, "Saurian", is also known for adhering to fossil records and new discoveries. However, in the gaming industry, this situation is rare.

Clements, points out that many of the games he and several colleagues have studied have "grotessed" ancient animals. In these games, ancient animals are often exaggerated as savage, rampant killing machines against their enemies. For example, players can use them as cavalry in Total War: warhammer, or kill without guilt in games such as the Ark: evolution of Survival and Second Extinction. Similar to the stereotype of paleontologists, this is the case with the homogeneous description of animal behavior in video games, and designers may have to stick to the old ways and find it difficult to invent new ways to play.

In many games, such as "Unmanned Deep Space", "Story of Stardew Valley" and "my World", fossils of ancient animals will appear as props at GSA parties. Some people have called for a game for ammonites, an extinct hard-shelled marine mollusk shaped like a nautilus in vitro. Many members booed carnivorous dinosaurs. "Justice for herbivores!" Cried Lim Norris, a student at the University of Texas. "I want to play a trilobite simulation game," said Cade Orchard, a graduate student at the University of Georgia. "

Andrew Fredericks, a paleontology student who studies freshwater snails, admits that games about ancient snails are difficult to sell. "can they sell? to be honest, if I see a game about freshwater snails, I'm not sure I'll buy it." In a sense, this reflects a dilemma faced by such games: apart from dinosaurs, it is difficult for developers to imagine any other paleontology that can inspire players' enthusiasm. However, the success of Wingspan, a bird-themed table game, shows that paleontological themes other than dinosaurs can also be fun and challenging for players if played properly.

Ron Martindale, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, created a board game called Coral Reef Survivor (Reef Survivors), which was shown for the first time at a GSA party. In this game that simulates the coral reef ecosystem, players must build a healthy coral reef to resist all kinds of random disasters. It feels like "plants vs. zombies", except that players' opponents have changed from zombies to ocean acidification, hurricanes and other disasters.

In a survey organized by Martindale, 80 per cent of "coral reef survivor" players said they had learned a lot from the game. Martindale's students also modify the game according to player feedback and taking into account the differences in players' backgrounds, so that audiences in more countries and regions and different cultural backgrounds can use it more easily.

In fact, even some young paleontological games can sometimes bring unexpected benefits. Paleobotanist Anne Raymond mentioned the 1996 computer game Dinosaur Amusement Park (Dinosaur Safari). "I played with my son and it was a great experience." Raymond said Dinosaur Amusement Park not only brought her closer to her son, but also helped her explain her research topics at work to her son.

"Dinosaur Amusement Park" is an educational game, the main goal of players is to travel to ancient times to take pictures of all kinds of dinosaurs at the GSA party, there is really an ammonite game. GSA members saw the ammonite-themed Roguelike game "Ancient Ocean" (Ancient Oceans) produced by the ammonite Motion Modeling Lab of the University of Utah. Based on the lab's research on how ammonites survive and compete for resources, Olivia Jenkins, director of art and programming, collaborated with assistant professor Catherine Ritter Bush to develop the game.

Ancient Ocean requires players to manipulate ammonites to survive in different ocean ages, taking full account of factors such as speed, endurance and hunger. Jenkins hopes Ancient Ocean will be enjoyed by all players, not just cephalopod lovers. In order to improve playability, Ancient Ocean has made some concessions in terms of accuracy, but players can still learn a lot from it. "I learned a lot about the Cold War from Alloy equipment 3, more than all the relevant knowledge I learned in the public education system." "because the information in the game is directly relevant to the players, they will actively delve into it and have the motivation to remember more details," Jenkins explained. "

The game Saurian, set in South Dakota 6600 years ago, depicts more than 20 paleontology from the Hell Creek Group. Interestingly, Professor Clements, also mentioned in a paper in Geoscience Newsletter that options such as vocabulary and encyclopedia in the game can guide players who are curious about paleontology to learn about it without forcing people to learn. " I will try to encourage players to check the information provided by the game, but will not force it on them. " Jenkins said, "I need to strike a balance between the two."

Jenkins revealed that an augmented reality version of Ancient Ocean is expected to be released in the spring of 2023. This summer, the development team will also launch a test version that pays more attention to play. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, and Professor Ritter Bush has prepared a budget for subsequent updates to the game. If researchers find new ammonites or shell shapes, the development team will add them to the game.

Neil Kelly, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in the United States, said that his son likes to play Pokemon Go, and he himself appreciates the diversity of animals in the Pokemon series. "there are very few popular media works that show really rare biological groups, and Pokemon is an obvious exception.... these games can help people realize how colorful creatures are."

Radiation: new Vegas: even in modern or future-themed games, who doesn't love dinosaurs? Paleontologists study the world's oldest organisms, but when sharing their findings with the public, they need to use technologies that keep pace with the times, such as interactive software and streaming video. In a sense, video games can play a similar role, allowing players to learn about the earth's billions of years of biological history in a fun-based way.

This article is compiled from: https://www.wired.com/ story / video-game-dinosaurs/

The original title: "Video Games Need Better Dinosaurs. Paleontologists Can Help "

Original author: PEARSE ANDERSON

Author: NEAL AKUMA

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